Creatures Behind Masks
by Sophia Dreith
Summary: His hands came up a few inches before stopping and falling back down to his sides. No…to show her his true face was to show her that he was flesh and blood…and weak. While shrouded, he was still unfathomable to her. He was still more than human. She wouldn't be afraid if she thought him no better than her.
1. Chapter 1

He watched her as she slept, her mind in a state of darkness. He moved through her memories as a snake through a forest, scenting for anything important. But nothing on the surface was of interest to him. He pulled away as her mind began to awaken.

Her eyes opened and she blinked a bit as she took in her surroundings. Her gaze finally landed on him and he felt her fear of him. She did her best to hide it from him and herself but there was no escape from the gnawing biting terror that would consume her as he took what he wanted from her. She knew it was only a matter of time.

The scavenger took a steadying breath and her voice was deceptively calm. "Where am I?"

He couldn't help but admire her a bit. Many in that same chair had begun their…discussions with screaming and pleading. It was a refreshing change of pace.

He smiled behind the mask. "You're my guest."

Her brows knitted in confusion as she looked around again. It was the only outward sign that her mind was still in disarray.

Still, she swallowed and asked, "Where are the others?"

His eyes narrowed and he didn't even try to keep the contempt from his voice. "You mean the murderers, traitors and thieves that you call friends?"

She didn't respond but he answered her question anyway. "You'll be relieved to hear I have no idea."

He came closer to the girl and he allowed a bit of his power to roll through her. It twisted and writhed with her own weak connection to the force. He could sense it now. She was force-sensitive but untrained at hiding her emotions or her intentions, it seemed.

His head tilted to the side. "You still want to kill me?"

She bared her teeth at him like the 'reaches trash that she was. "That happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask."

Kylo looked her over; truly took her in physically and mentally for the first time. She was...different. He'd trained dozens of knights over the last decade but few had the fortitude to stand up to even a minimal amount of his power in their minds. At least not at first. He cared little for the other knights, usually, and disliked having to instruct them.

But the scavenger...He thought he would enjoy the challenge of breaking her and reshaping her into a knight. His first instinct had been to remove his mask and show her that he wasn't a creature. That he was a man able and willing to do terrible things to her in order to get what he wanted.

His hands came up a few inches before stopping and falling back down to his sides. No…to show her his true face was to show her that he was flesh and blood…and weak. While shrouded, he was still unfathomable to her. He was still more than human. She wouldn't be afraid if she thought him no better than her. He would be a known quantity then.

Even now he could feel the force swirling in soft waves about her, light and airy as an endless desert or ocean. And just as deadly if given even an inch, he thought.

He came closer to her. "Tell me about the droid."

Her face immediately closed off and she leaned back. "He's a BB unit with a selenium drive and a thermal hypo-scan vindic—"

He stopped her recitation. He didn't care about that. "It's carrying a section of a navigational chart. We have the rest recovered from the archives of the Empire, but we need the last piece."

He paused, searching through the shallow thoughts that floated along the surface of her mind. He skimmed them but found nothing of interest. The question he really wanted answered was why a droid carrying classified information would allow her to know his mission; much less see the map.

He kept his presence within her mind light and she hadn't noticed him yet. But he could feel that there was something she desperately trying to hide from him. He just needed to prod a bit further. "Somehow, you convinced the droid to show it to you." It was there…Something important to her. Someone. He could feel her emotions beginning to well up. "You. A scavenger."

He came around until his mask was close to her face. Despite the situation, his eyes were inexplicably drawn to the freckles that dusted over her nose. He looked back towards her eyes, delving into the abyss of her mind. This time she felt the brush of his thoughts. "You know I can take whatever I want."

She still refused to speak so he brought his hand up and began to pull on her. He would have rather not begun their relationship this way. Students had a tendency to be resentful towards masters that tortured them. He would know. As it was, her weak force connection would be no match for the master of the Knights of Ren.

Her memories were a watercolor of emotion that ran deeper than he expected. His eyes narrowed as colors suffused his vision. Aqua and cornflower filled her mind and at first he thought it was the sky, far away and unending. But…He felt something familiar; a mirror of his own feelings.

"You're so lonely. So afraid to leave." Kylo took a shaky breath. He'd felt as she did now. He remembered the misery and he didn't want to feel it again. "At night, desperate to sleep."

The color came into focus and he shuddered. It was his own nightmare reflected back at him. "You imagine an ocean. I see it. I see the island."

Kylo wanted to pull away, to collect his thoughts. How could her mind be so similar to his own? They clearly had very different upbringings but she felt as he did, their thoughts in a strange sort of harmony despite the dichotomy of their moral codes, or his lack there-of.

And just as he is about to search elsewhere, a face and voice drifts by and Kylo recognized the lines immediately. His father. "Han Solo."

That useless waste of a smuggler. Anger permeated through his thoughts and he couldn't keep the bite out of his tone. "You feel like he's the father you never had." He took a steadying breath and spoke what he knew to be the truth. "He would have disappointed you."

At this, she finally spoke, her teeth clenched. "Get out of my head."

They were on a bit of a schedule and he wasn't about to let Hux one up him in front of the supreme leader. "I know you've seen the map. It's in there. And now you'll give it to me."

He pulled harder and she couldn't stop her body from physically reacting to the push and pull of his power as he worked to extract the information. But he wasn't getting what he wanted and he felt the darkness whisper that he needed more power. He took what it offered and he felt tendrils of the force penetrating her head, her mind, ripping and tearing inside. The darkness was filling her very being as he tore gaping holes into her consciousness.

He knew the feeling and saw the tears in her eyes but didn't stop. "Don't be afraid, I feel it too."

She shook her head as she struggled to keep him at bay. "I'm not giving you anything."

Kylo tilted his head, and felt a smile forming at her tenacity. He would make her a great knight. "We'll see."

But the terror spread through her as the dark side latched on to anything it could, taking hold of her and creating conflict and doubt in her own abilities and he speared through those feelings drawing them out and saturating her mind in despair.

She didn't scream, though. Men far stronger than her had succumbed far more quickly and he was reluctantly impressed. But that didn't last. It was becoming harder and harder to wade through her memories. Her thoughts began to push back at him and the once effervescent flow of force began to shift toward him. Began to seep into his own thoughts and he was frozen at the implication that this slip of a scavenger girl from a nowhere planet was reading his mind; was searching his memories as she would a crashed ship for parts.

And she was looking at him. Looking through him. "You…"

No… this wasn't happening.

Muscles twitched in her face as the effort to push him out and indeed follow him into his own mind weighed her down. "You're afraid…Afraid you won't be as strong as Darth Vader."

His eyes widened and his hand dropped as he severed their connection. It was then that he realized that he was panting and he backed away from her, his thoughts spinning wildly.

He didn't look at her, though. "You are strong. Far stronger than you should be. How did no one find you?"

He was talking to himself more than anything. The Knights of Ren numbered in the hundreds and they routinely scoured their part of space, what was left of the empire, for force sensitive children and adults to train and add to their numbers. Jakku was well within their borders and she should have been found. He needed to consult with the supreme leader but first…

He went over to the console and called in the med droid. "Sedate her and prep her for transport. Put her aboard my ship."

She began shouting obscenities as the droid filled a syringe and then inserted it into her vein while he held her still. It would have been easier to knock her out with his power, but now that she was aware of her own force-sensitivity and he was not there to accompany her, he would take no chances.

She soon passed out and the guards came in and unstrapped her. He did not stay to watch them load her into a stasis pod. It would be the easiest way to ensure she remained unconscious until they returned to Korriban.

He left from the interrogation room and made his way to the holo room. It was only a matter of time until Hux heard of his failure and came there to gloat.

Kylo entered the room and came to the platform. His fingers hesitated on a second before hitting the communications array and signaling that he needed to speak to his master. Seconds turned into minutes as he waited anxiously for Snoke to answer his call.

It felt much longer than it probably was, after all, his master was as interested in his findings as everyone else. The image of the titan flickered to life as it took shape and the supreme leader tilted his head.

"Where is Skywalker?"

Kylo looked away. "There was a problem when I went to retrieve the information."

The supreme leader showed no emotion. "What kind of problem?"

He looked away, unable to meet the eyes of his master. "She was able to keep her thoughts hidden from me."

And he didn't need to look up to know that Snoke was angry. "From you? The master of the Knights of Ren?"

Kylo shook his head in denial of his failure. "She is untrained but strong in the force! Far stronger than she knows."

He heard the doors open behind him as Snoke asked about the droid.

Hux answered from behind him, no doubt reveling in his chance to look better in front of the supreme leader. "Ren made the decision not to pursue the droid. No doubt it's already in the hands of the resistance."

His master smashed his fist down upon the armrest in anger. "The republic needs to be crushed."

Kylo could almost feel the glee wafting off of Hux as he reported. "Sir, we were able to track one of their reconnaissance ships and it appears that the resistance is based in the Ilenium system. It will take less than an hour to arm the station and destroy them once and for all."

And in seconds Snoke was calm again and Kylo gritted his teeth that it was Hux who made it so. "Go. Make the preparations."

"Yes, supreme leader."

Kylo waited until Hux was outside the room. He would not show any more weakness in front of the man. "I will get the information from her, master. I only need your guidance. And..." Kylo voiced the thought that had been swirling through his mind since she'd rebuffed him. "She is the awakening we felt before. I know it."

His master's head tilted in thought. "If she is as powerful as you say, bring her before me."

He bowed his head. "Yes, supreme leader."

The image vanished and he turned to leave. He'd known what Snoke would say. His master was drawn to power and it seemed this girl was as powerful as he was.

Kylo turned and left the room, his stride gaining confidence. The girl—Rey as he'd pulled from her head—was far stronger than he'd imagined. The connection to the force was like nothing he'd experienced before, even from his master.

Turning her to the dark side would be difficult but if they-if he- were able to do so, she would be glorious. He imagined her wielding a red saber, perhaps a doubled sided blade as the sith had in the days of old, mowing enemies down like wheat in a field. All would fall before her power.

And he would be there to witness it, to bring it forth. He would be there…helping her as she destroyed Snoke and took her place as a leader within the new empire. But no…he mustn't dwell on such ideas. While he did not consider them farfetched, such plans were years from coming to fruition and Snoke would be vigilant against his potential heir…and usurper.

Captain Phasma awaited him outside the doors and he turned to her. "Is the girl loaded?"

She nodded, her tone smooth and even. "Yes, sir. She is fully unconscious in the stasis pod."

"Good. I have one other thing to attend to and then we will leave."

"As you wish."

She turned from him and made her way down to the hall to complete the preparations for his departure. It was far below her pay-grade but Hux, he knew, was quite fond of Phasma. The general liked to keep her with him as much as possible so Kylo made it a point to send her on errands and missions as often as he could even when she wasn't needed. Such a small thing seemed to irritate Hux like almost nothing else Kylo had ever tried and he smirked a bit under his mask before leaving and making his way down the hall towards his just needed to retrieve the relic of his grandfather and then they would leave.

It was only a few minutes before he had the helmet was safely ensconced in its case. Hux could deal with the resistance and take as much credit as he could from their victory. Kylo wanted none of it. He had what he wanted and he carried it with great care down the hallway as he made his way to the hanger bay.

He came to halt when he felt it. The presence of… "Han Solo."

If his father was on the planet, then this place would fall. A squad of troopers jogged by him and his hand instantly lashed out and took hold of one close to the end. The rest continued on, almost assuredly glad to be away from the volatile Knight of Ren.

He was in the trooper's mind in seconds installing his directives and leaving no room for failure. "You, DK-4486. Take this case to the hanger and board my ship with it. Do not allow it to be damaged. Tell the crew to leave the base. I will follow soon."

The stormtrooper nodded quickly and took the case in both arms and hastily left. The game had changed, he could feel it. But they would both be safe.


	2. Chapter 2

Kylo Ren looked down at the fallen traitor, the former storm-trooper's back burning and bleeding from the slash down his spine. He reached his hand out and pulled his grandfather's lightsaber to him. It was not a weapon he would use, too much of the Jedi remained in the weapon but Kylo wanted it all the same.

He turned back intending to finish the job quickly; he needed to leave the planet before it came apart but it was already too late. The ground split between them. He tilted his head and looked across the canyon towards his prey. Let the traitor die here.

He turned and began running almost full speed towards the base, he needed to get to a ship quickly or he'd go up in flames as the planet did. But he needn't have worried, apparently. A ship appeared before him suddenly and the ramp dropped own. Phasma stood on the ramp, her hand held out to him.

He jumped and managed to catch hold of her. She tried to guide him to a seat but he brushed her aside, preferring to remain looking out as the planet crumpled and burned. Hux's failure was spectacular to watch but soon the door had to close. He made his way back into the main compartment and looked around at the others who had escaped. The ship was a small courier freighter usually used to ferry special items around their space but today it contained only a squadron of troopers along with Phasma and Hux.

The general was strapped in and looked incredibly irritated. It had no doubt not been his idea to come to Kylo's aid. Kylo breathed heavily inside his mask and could not sit so he leaned against the bulkhead instead and began to commune with the force.

Doing so allowed him to feel the emotions of those around him and even hear their thoughts if he was so inclined. He felt a great amount of fear and relief from the troopers but from Phasma, he felt anger, burning anger at being slighted in some way.

It was only a fraction of a second before he knew what had happened in his absence in the base. The good captain had been taken captive. The resistance had wanted her to drop the shields of the base and she had intended to die in defense of the First Order and her general.

But she had switched on her comms and Hux had heard the entire exchange. But rather than allowing her an honorable death, he had ordered her to drop the shields, intending to have it back up in minutes from the bridge. But he'd made a mistake and hadn't realized that the resistance only needed seconds to get through and start attacking the oscillator.

And now the jewel of the empire, Star Killer Base was destroyed because of Hux's unrequited feelings towards his trooper captain. Kylo delved into the general's mind and was slightly impressed. Despite what had happened, he didn't regret it. He was already spinning a tale in his mind to tell Snoke that would cover both his and Phasma's collective rears and Kylo left him to it.

Phasma would no doubt make the man pay for forcing her to be the lynchpin in the downfall of the supreme leader's prized base. While she may have admired the red headed man before, she was seething behind that helmet.

Kylo shook his head and walked past them, saying nothing to either. He entered the cockpit. "What were the casualties of the base?"

"We lost roughly a third of our troops and all the tech aboard was destroyed."

"And my ship?"

He saw the pilot freeze and his eyes narrowed behind the mask. "Sir, the ship was ordered to halt mid light speed after the base was destroyed and the codes checked out but it was a ruse. It was attacked and boarded. The prisoner was taken."

Kylo felt his fingers begin to clench in rage.

No. No! She was his to teach! His to shape into the perfect warrior for the dark and now she was gone!

His body shook with barely suppressed rage and the two pilots shifted away from him, as far as they could. He took a calming breath. It would no due him any good to begin tearing the small ship apart. And this wasn't the end. Not by a long stretch. He'd been inside her mind, he could feel her if he reached out far enough. He would find her. He would make her strong. She was destined to stand by his side, he'd known it the second she had reached into his thoughts. Their minds were in perfect symmetry to one another as they would be.

* * *

This is a prologue for a longer fic that I am working on called, " _Beneath the Facade_ ". There is also a side-story detailing more od Hux and Phasma's relationship within this series called, " _Her Armor was as Jewels_ ".BtF is updated almost daily and HAwaJ is complete. Both can be found on my author profile. Thank you very much for reading! ~Sophie D.


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